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VCUVoice __________________________ Virginia Commonwealth University _________________________ _
A Publication for
Faculty and Staff on the
University's Academic and
Medical College of
Virginia Campuses
Volume 21, Number IS
June 11, 1993
President's Column
Page 2
Appointments and
Promotions
Page 3
Classified Staff Group
Accepting Member­ship
Nominations
Page 3
Associate professor
makes the transition
from the professional
advertising world to
the classroom.
Page 4
VISST A programs
bring School of Social
Work closer to
Richmond's changing
society.
Page 4
Professor and son
create a memorial to
the children killed at
Waco.
PageS
Newsmakers
Page 6
Calendar
Page 7
A visual look at this
year's commencement
PageS
Strategic Planners Face Final Revision Hurdles
Report Outlining Directions for VCU Goes to President's Desk
By John Sarvay
The group of faculty and
administrators charged with for­mulating
a strategic plan for the
university is nearing complet ion
of its task.
More than a year after the
original group fust met to di scuss
the future of VCU, the Report
from the Commission on the
Future of the University is ready
to be presented to the president.
" I've been very pleased
with the process which has in­cluded
involvement from all the
constituencies of the university.
both internal and external," says
Dr. Grace Harris, provost and vice
president for academic affairs.
That process has included
dozens of meetings between com­mission
members, as well as over
200 letters and memos from the
university community and 38
hearings with departments,
schools, boards and other repre­sentative
groups at VCU.
Two day-long meetings in
May examined virtually every
idea, suggestion and recommen­dation
from the memos and
hearings, says Dr. Michael
Brooks, special assistant to the
provost for strategic planning.
"We dealt with all of the
major issues and created five
committees who reported back to
the commission. The committees
focused on technology issues; the
lists of programs affected by the
plan; graduate education and
research; and student affairs. The
fifth committee dealt with all of
the smaller issues not encapsu­lated
by the other four
committees," says Brooks.
Brooks and Harris both
agree that the next step in the
process is an implementation
document. The implementation
plan will be forwarded to the
Board of Visitors along with the
proposed strategic plan in late
July.
"We plan to look at every
recommendation and determine
who is responsible for implemen­tation,
what they should do and
what time frame they are expected
to act under," says Brooks.
"Of course, some of the
recommendations are already in
progress-some were being talked
about long before our planning
even started," says Harris. "We
have tried to incorporate all of that
planning into the final report."
Funding is another major
issue that the commission has
worked to incorporate into its final
COlllillued 011 page 5
Mediators Help Ease Conflict
p (
Employee participants in the university's Mediation Program have handled more mediations than
any other mediation program in the state.
The university's media­tion
program, established by
the Human Resource Division
in 1989, recently recognized
the university employees
who have participated in the
program.
"A few years ago the
Human Resource Division
decided there may be a better
way of conflict resolution
other than panel hearings and
fisticuffs," Steven Moore, assis­tant
vice president for human
resources, told a gathering of
mediators and other university
employees.
"People are different, ideas
are different, roles are different­those
lead to differences that
sometimes need to be worked
out," Dr. Eugene P. Trani noted.
The program was started in
January of 1989 as one of seven
dE, l M
.t:OICINAl CHEMISTRY
BOX 540
'If.
Photo by Media ProdllCtion Services
pilot programs across the state.
Looking at the numbers it is
obvious that it is one of the more
successful programs.
VCU mediators have tack­led
39 mediations, including 11
grievances, out of 140 mediations
statewide. Only 4 ended without
resolution. The university pro­gram
handled 28 mediations for
the rest of the state, more than any
of the other seven pilot programs.

VCUVoice __________________________ Virginia Commonwealth University _________________________ _
A Publication for
Faculty and Staff on the
University's Academic and
Medical College of
Virginia Campuses
Volume 21, Number IS
June 11, 1993
President's Column
Page 2
Appointments and
Promotions
Page 3
Classified Staff Group
Accepting Member­ship
Nominations
Page 3
Associate professor
makes the transition
from the professional
advertising world to
the classroom.
Page 4
VISST A programs
bring School of Social
Work closer to
Richmond's changing
society.
Page 4
Professor and son
create a memorial to
the children killed at
Waco.
PageS
Newsmakers
Page 6
Calendar
Page 7
A visual look at this
year's commencement
PageS
Strategic Planners Face Final Revision Hurdles
Report Outlining Directions for VCU Goes to President's Desk
By John Sarvay
The group of faculty and
administrators charged with for­mulating
a strategic plan for the
university is nearing complet ion
of its task.
More than a year after the
original group fust met to di scuss
the future of VCU, the Report
from the Commission on the
Future of the University is ready
to be presented to the president.
" I've been very pleased
with the process which has in­cluded
involvement from all the
constituencies of the university.
both internal and external" says
Dr. Grace Harris, provost and vice
president for academic affairs.
That process has included
dozens of meetings between com­mission
members, as well as over
200 letters and memos from the
university community and 38
hearings with departments,
schools, boards and other repre­sentative
groups at VCU.
Two day-long meetings in
May examined virtually every
idea, suggestion and recommen­dation
from the memos and
hearings, says Dr. Michael
Brooks, special assistant to the
provost for strategic planning.
"We dealt with all of the
major issues and created five
committees who reported back to
the commission. The committees
focused on technology issues; the
lists of programs affected by the
plan; graduate education and
research; and student affairs. The
fifth committee dealt with all of
the smaller issues not encapsu­lated
by the other four
committees" says Brooks.
Brooks and Harris both
agree that the next step in the
process is an implementation
document. The implementation
plan will be forwarded to the
Board of Visitors along with the
proposed strategic plan in late
July.
"We plan to look at every
recommendation and determine
who is responsible for implemen­tation,
what they should do and
what time frame they are expected
to act under" says Brooks.
"Of course, some of the
recommendations are already in
progress-some were being talked
about long before our planning
even started" says Harris. "We
have tried to incorporate all of that
planning into the final report."
Funding is another major
issue that the commission has
worked to incorporate into its final
COlllillued 011 page 5
Mediators Help Ease Conflict
p (
Employee participants in the university's Mediation Program have handled more mediations than
any other mediation program in the state.
The university's media­tion
program, established by
the Human Resource Division
in 1989, recently recognized
the university employees
who have participated in the
program.
"A few years ago the
Human Resource Division
decided there may be a better
way of conflict resolution
other than panel hearings and
fisticuffs" Steven Moore, assis­tant
vice president for human
resources, told a gathering of
mediators and other university
employees.
"People are different, ideas
are different, roles are different­those
lead to differences that
sometimes need to be worked
out" Dr. Eugene P. Trani noted.
The program was started in
January of 1989 as one of seven
dE, l M
.t:OICINAl CHEMISTRY
BOX 540
'If.
Photo by Media ProdllCtion Services
pilot programs across the state.
Looking at the numbers it is
obvious that it is one of the more
successful programs.
VCU mediators have tack­led
39 mediations, including 11
grievances, out of 140 mediations
statewide. Only 4 ended without
resolution. The university pro­gram
handled 28 mediations for
the rest of the state, more than any
of the other seven pilot programs.